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= Canon Sources = When a new source is brought into the game canon, generally two major elements are established: a "cutoff point" that determines how much of the story is being used from the published source and a "timeline" that determines how the timeline of the original source syncs up to the story of the game. In general, up to the cutoff point, any event that is key to the story or was witnessed in the story by a number of characters is immutable. For example, per the canon noted below, a new player could not app Jacob Black from ''Twilight as never having phased before, as that is critical to the events of New Moon, nor could anyone apply to play Laurent, as the entire Quileute wolf pack was there for his death. If, however, an event has not yet occurred in the story or did occur but was not witnessed, they may be altered with staff approval. Naturally this largely applies to feature characters.'' Handling events that occurred but were not witnessed is a little trickier to handle. It does however open up some very interesting opportunities for role-play. For example, if a character is mortally wounded and left to die, but there is room for suspicion that the death might not have been quite so assured as it might have seemed on the page or the screen, then while it is safe to generally assume that the character is dead, it is equally safe to reveal that the rumors of the character's death have been exaggerated--she may have found a way, in the grand tradition of fiction, to escape in the nick of time, retreating to recover in secret, before making an eventual comeback. With this in mind, it may seem daunting to alter the course of the books if you wish to take a character along a different route. Certain relationships for example are very long established by the cut off for a particular source. Changing those characters can steer not just one, but many characters along very new paths. Altering the relationship dynamics of the central feature characters is not to be approached lightly as a result. However, it is not forbidden, either. No player is beholden to only role-play the events as they occurred in the books post the game cut off. Caution is suggested though, so please do not take a feature character specifically for the purpose of altering them in this manner. Nearly anything can be changed with proper explanation and the time devoted to making the change occur naturally through role-play, but the length of time and the nature of that role-play should be discussed in advance with players that will be affected by such a change as well as the staff. We are all here to role play after all, so there should be no aversion to doing that to affect the changes in the canon we would like to see realized. After all anything with having is worth working towards. Note that if a change is going to disrupt the game to terribly, such as a major feature character's death for example, the staff reserves the right to veto it. With this in mind, please for the sake of all parties contact staff before such events start in the game. Give us a brief description of the plot points and planned outcome. However, even where canon seems quite firm, we do allow some wiggle room--if you believe that altering an element of canon would not be unduly problematic, then you may suggest it to staff. If your suggestion is approved, then it may be added to our canon notes in this file the purpose of this policy is not to keep us in lock-step with the stories as published, just to help keep everyone on the same page, existing within the same continuity. Buffy: The Vampire Slayer * Cutoff: The full series of Buffy is considered past canon. Angel is considered past canon up until Season 3, Episode 6, "Billy"; from there, Angel is only canon in such regard as is required by Buffy's timeline. * Timeline: As of the game's IC opening, Sunnydale was destroyed several months earlier. However, Darla has not yet become pregnant with Angel's child. Before the Dawn counts the entirety of the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer as canon. Events detailed in the show are considered to have occurred on the game just as they did in the series. The spinoff series, Angel, and the 1992 film can also be used as sources, though the Buffy series is considered primary canon, and concepts from the film may require more adaptation. Some elements of the show may be subject to adjusting, such as last-minute character death and maiming, so please feel free to approach staff with any suggestions. A player wishing to play a Buffyverse-style vampire, demon, or monster is perfectly fine. Most FCs are playable, and most concepts can be used for OCs. Per the end of the show, multiple Slayers are now fully possible, as all the potential slayers have been activated. Other concepts, such as hellmouths, may be possible with staff approval. Notes * Per the "Dislocation" plot, Los Angeles has been divested of all magic. While magic returns to the area normally, this means that anything supernatural that existed in Los Angeles before the start of game play have been transported mysteriously to other locations, such as The Hyperion hotel being transplanted to San Francisco. * While Darla has been depicted as pregnant at this point in Angel, we will leave that plot point ambiguous so that a potential player is not forced to keep that element of continuity. If someone wishes to play Connor, they can play him from a future timeline, akin to Wyatt Halliwell. Charmed * Cutoff: Season 2, Episode 22, "Be Careful What You Witch For" (Before the start of season 3) * Timeline: As of the game's IC opening, Piper and Leo are not yet married, and Prue is still alive, while Paige has yet to be introduced. Before the Dawn counts the TV series Charmed as canon up until Episode 22 of Season 2. Events detailed in the show up to that point are considered to have occurred on the game just as they did in the series. The cutoff is set early in the show in order to give the most freedom and have the most characters available, particularly not establishing Piper's marriage or Prue's death, but later elements are still for the most part perfectly viable. A player wishing to play a Charmed-style witch, warlock, demon, mythical creature, or monster is perfectly fine. Most FCs are playable, and most concepts can be used for OCs. OC witch-hunters are of course plausible, though original character whitelighters, fairies, or other more powerful or obscure concepts may require a great deal more adaptation and discussion with staff. Use of other concepts, such as darklighters or series Big Bads may be possible with staff approval. The Dresden Files * Cutoff: Book 1, Storm Front (Before Book 2, Fool Moon) * Timeline: As of the game's IC opening, Harry Dresden has had the Doom of Damocles lifted from him after solving a series of grisly black-magic-fueled murders in Chicago. Before the Dawn counts the novel series The Dresden Files as canon up to the end of Book 1, Storm Front. Events detailed in the series up to that point are considered to have occurred on the game just as they did in the books. The cutoff is set early in the series in order to give the most freedom and have the most characters open to interpretation, particularly not delving too much into the overarching plot of the books as they go on, such as Harry's dealings with the fae or the Red Court/White Council war. A player wishing to play a Dresden-style wizard, vampire, shifter, or other mythical creature may well be able to do so; most FCs are playable, and most concepts can be used for OCs. Note that Dresden concepts may require a bit more adaptation, particularly wizards and any sort of fae characters (due to potentially very high power levels and extensive political and thematic impact). Use of other concepts, such as specific elements of Dresden magic, lore, or cosmology may be possible with staff approval. Notes * Per the "Dislocation" plot, Chicago has been divested of all magic. While magic returns to the area normally, this means that anything supernatural that existed in Chicago before the start of game play have been transported mysteriously to other locations, such as San Francisco or Seattle. Highlander * Cutoff: The original Highlander film * Timeline: It has been many years since Duncan claimed The Prize in 1986. Before the Dawn counts the film and television series Highlander as canon through only the first film. Events detailed in the franchise up to that point are considered to have occurred on the game just as they did in the film. Conceptually, ideas from later films in the series or from the television show are all fair game for sources, though none of the specific events from the show or later films are considered to have explicitly happened unless established by approved player application. This cutoff is designed to allow the fullest range of characters and concepts to be playable. As such, players may create Highlander-style immortals. Most FCs are playable, and most concepts can be used for OCs. With staff approval and if it makes sense based on the story and Highlander lore, humans from other sources may potentially be reborn as immortals. Notes * Supernatural * Cutoff: Season 1, Episode 19, "Provenance" (Before obtaining The Colt) * Timeline: As of the game's IC opening, January of 2013, Sam and Dean are still in their first year of hunting together. Before the Dawn counts the TV series Supernatural as canon up until Episode 19 of Season 1. Events detailed in the show up to that point are considered to have occurred on the game just as they did in the series. Conceptually, ideas from later in the show or the anime can also be used as sources, though the indicated elements of the show are considered primary canon, and other concepts may require more adaptation. The cutoff is set early in the show in order to give the most freedom and have the most characters available, but later elements are still for the most part perfectly viable. A player wishing to play a Supernatural-style vampire, demon, or monster is perfectly fine. Most FCs are playable, and most concepts can be used for OCs. OC hunters are of course plausible, though original concepts such as Angels, Knights of Hell, or Leviathans may require a great deal more adaptation and discussion with staff. Use of other concepts, such as the apocalypse events or The Colt may be possible with staff approval. Teen Wolf * Cutoff: Season 3A, Episode 12, "Lunar Eclipse" (After the defeat of the Darach and the Alpha Pack) * Timeline: As of the game's IC opening, January of 2013, Scott and his pack are in their junior year of high school. Before the Dawn counts the TV series Teen Wolf as canon up until Episode 12 of Season 3A. Events detailed in the show up to that point are considered to have occurred on the game just as they did in the series. Conceptually, the 1985 film is can also be used as a source, though the show is considered primary canon, and concepts from the film may require more adaptation. The cutoff is set early in the show in order to give the most freedom and have the most characters available, but later elements are still for the most part perfectly viable. A player wishing to play a Teen Wolf-style werewolf, ritualist, or monster is perfectly fine. Most FCs are playable, and most concepts can be used for OCs. OC wolf-hunters are of course plausible, though original concepts pertaining to any of the series "Big Bads" or alpha wolves of any stripe may require a great deal more adaptation and discussion with staff. Use of other concepts, such as advanced druidic magic or series Big Bads may be possible with staff approval. Notes * Vernon Boyd and Erica Reyes are assumed to still be alive and may be played as active in Beacon Hills. In an adjustment to canon, Erica disappeared and Boyd was able to recover from his apparently fatal wounds; however, both have been in hiding, aided by Derek Hale to stay off the grid, ever since. With the threat of the alpha pack now gone, it is plausible that they might return. The Twilight Saga * Cutoff: The end of Book 2, New Moon * Timeline: As of the game's IC opening, January of 2013, the events of New Moon have only recently taken place. Before the Dawn counts several of the books in the Twilight Saga as canon. Events detailed in those books are considered to have occurred on the game just as they did in the books. It is worth noting that the books and movies do differ on a number of points. (Reference the wiki found here.) Events occurring before the third book in the series, Eclipse, are all canon to the game. Vampires, werewolves, and human psychics from the series are all fair game to play, FCs and OCs alike. A player wishing to have a vampire from another coven visit Forks before they did so in the canon story is fine. Likewise, having a member of the Quileute pack not introduced in Twilight or New Moon phase for the first time before they did so in the books is likewise fine. Some points are more fixed, such as that Quileute shifters for example imprint on others, and the change that overcomes a vampire when they fall in love is literally the only time they "change" after becoming a vampire. The Vampire Diaries * Cutoff: The series is considered past canon up until Season 1, Episode 22, "Founder's Day." * Timeline: As of the game's IC opening, the Founder's Day celebration happened a couple of moths prior. Before the Dawn counts the TV series The Vampire Diaries as canon up until Episode 22 of Season 1. Events detailed in the show up to that point are considered to have occurred on the game just as they did in the series. The cutoff is set early in the show in order to give the most freedom and have the most characters available, but later elements are still for the most part perfectly viable. Notes * Per the "Dislocation" plot, Mystic Falls has been divested of all magic. While magic returns to the area normally, this means that anything supernatural that existed in Mystic Falls before the start of game play have been transported mysteriously to other locations, such as Forks or Beacon Hills. Secondary Sources Some sources have been less extensively brought into game canon but are still reasonable sources for characters and concepts that can be played on the game. Examples of such sources are listed here. ''American Horror Story: Coven'' The world of American Horror Story: Coven is not included particularly in theme, but the characters from the show may be adapted in as witches or the like, so long as they generally adapt to fit the setting and other particulars of our world. ''Being Human'' The creatures in Being Human, especially werewolves and vampires, are essentially typical of the genre, though they may entail a bit of mixing and matching between other sources. As such, Before the Dawn does not specifically include any canon from Being Human, but it is considered a reasonable source from which to adapt characters and character concepts. = Connecting Sources = FAQ I'm from series "A," but would I know about "B" from series "C"? * Generally, a character's knowledge can be assumed to extend beyond their own "series" as is appropriate. Harry Dresden has probably heard of Slayers. Rupert Giles has almost certainly heard of Wizards. Alan Deaton might or might not know about The Watchers Council, but he's almost certainly heard of The White Council. Said councils definitely know one another exist, and can reasonably be assumed to have some sort of working relationship. * If it makes sense for a character to not know something, then that's probably fine. Buffy Summers may be surprised to learn, for example, that there are certain vampires who avoid the sun for reasons quite different than she would expect. Sam and Dean Winchester may be surprised to learn of deviations from their hunting experience, if it suits them. '''' Category:Information